'Cow Cuddling' is the New Wellness Trend for People That Want to Relax

Life can be pretty stressful, so it's important to find time to relax. You could start meditating, enter a yoga class or soak in a warm bath - that is, if you're totally basic. If you're feeling more adventurous, you could try out the latest wellness trend, and pay $300 to cuddle cows.

I know this sounds udderly ridiculous. (Sorry). However, animal-assisted therapy has proven effective, and grown in popularity. Science says that animals provide a sense of comfort and improve your emotional well-being. When you bond with your pet, you develop a sense of trust and self-worth. Therapy animals are often prescribed for people suffering from mental illnesses, like depression, schizophrenia and addiction. Sure, dogs and cats are the most common therapy animals, but why not cows?

The Mountain Horse Farm is located in upstate New York, and offers customers a "Horse & Cow Experience." In the session, you spend quality time with horses or cows. You can pet them, cuddle them, watch them graze and even go through an obstacle course. The sessions last ninety minutes and are attended by two professionals, a licensed counselor and an equine specialist. The sessions cost $300 for up to two people and $395 for up to four people.

To read more on this story, click here: 'Cow Cuddling' is the New Wellness Trend for People That Want to Relax


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Chickens Are Becoming A Popular Option for An Emotional Support Or Therapy Animal

Chickens are more than something to eat. They are intelligent and social animals. The chatty bird has even won the hearts of many people who now keep them as a pet. Chickens are becoming a popular option for an emotional support or therapy animal.

Social animals make great therapy animals. Their need to connect and desire to be around family helps people suffering from anxiety, depression and loneliness. While dogs, cats and horses have been the traditional therapy animals, chickens are pecking their way in.

Chickens are entertaining and talkative animals. They have over 24 different types of vocalizations. Aside from their vocals, they have unique personalities. “The talker, the complainer, the bossy one and the placid and the dopey and the eagle eyed smarty pants,” states Psychology Today. There is a perfect chicken for everyone.

On top of the entertainment they provide, chickens are a perfect choice for people who are allergic to dogs and cats.

The feathered animal has been introduced to nursing homes and senior living communities with great success. Therapy chickens have helped people with mental illnesses, children with autism, and give the elderly a reason to live. Having an animal to care for gives them a reason to wake up every morning.

Studies done on facilities that have used therapy chickens have shown, “chickens at nursing homes can reduce resident-to-resident altercations, reduce antipsychotic drug use and increase the number of visits residents receive from friends and family,” according to Sheboygan Press. 

Therapy animals spark conversation about the patient’s past pets and brings back memories. This helps patients that are suffering from memory loss. The therapy animal also initiates conversations between the residents.

“They can make good therapy pets for people who live with a backyard because they cost much less than dogs. Care-taking is good for you, when it’s not overwhelming and a chicken can provide an “un-anxious example of how to live without worry,” reports Psychology Today.

While some chickens like to be handled and cuddled, they still need their outdoor time. Chickens need time outside to search for worms and bugs.

“Researchers at the University of Northumbria found that “poultry therapy” in nursing homes can reduce feelings of depression and loneliness in patients — and can be especially helpful in getting male patients to be more social.”

Chickens are affordable and entertaining therapy pets that are changing the lives of many people. These intelligent feathered animals are finally being seem as something more than food.

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San Francisco International Airport Introduced “Lilou” the Therapy Pig

San Francisco International Airport introduced “Lilou” the therapy pig this week as the newest member of the airport’s Wag Brigade. And, not surprisingly, she's the first airport therapy pig in the United States, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said, adding that he's sure she'll be a "big hit" with travelers.

Lilou happily let passengers pet her pink snout and her back (all the while wearing a pilot’s cap and a blue tutu) while walking through the busy terminals. At one point on Monday, Lilou did circles and ate treats to entertain the crowds. Lilou wasn't immediately available to snort and oink for an interview, but of course, she has an Instagram page, where she touted her new gig: "City pig & the 1st pig in SF SPCA AAT program."

One traveler tweeted that she was more excited to meet Lilou than any celebrity.

SFO launched the Wag Brigade in 2013 and Lilou is the first pig to join the ranks of friendly dogs, named Bailey and Biggie, to make “passenger travel more enjoyable.” The dogs — and now, one pig — are trained through the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and certified through their Animal Assisted Therapy Program.

SFSPCA spokeswoman Krista Maloney said the idea for the pig came straight from the swine's owner, Tatyana Danilova.

"She was very interested in having Lilou become certified as a therapy animal," Maloney said. So except for the "sit" and "down" commands, Lilou jumped through the same training hoops that dogs do, and passed with flying colors, Maloney said.

"She's friendly and she's pretty well trained," Maloney said, adding that Lilou also visits hospitals and senior homes to give comfort there as well. "She's also housebroken, which is pretty important in an airport."







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One Cat Brightens The Tough Days For This Little Girl With Autism

Five-year-old Iris Grace Halmshaw of Market Harborough, Leicestershire was diagnosed with autism in December 2011. Since that time, her parents, Arabella Carter-Johnson and Peter-Jon Halmshaw, have been navigating the process of helping their daughter flourish and live her life to the fullest. One of the more remarkable discoveries in this journey has been the blossoming friendship between Iris and her cat, Thula.


To read more on this story, click here: One Cat Brightens The Tough Days For This Little Girl With Autism

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Pets Allowed - Why Are So Many Animals Now in Places Where They Shouldn’t Be?

What a wonderful time it is for the scammer, the conniver, and the cheat: the underage drinkers who flash fake I.D.s, the able-bodied adults who drive cars with handicapped license plates, the parents who use a phony address so that their child can attend a more desirable public school, the customers with eleven items who stand in the express lane. The latest group to bend the law is pet owners.

To read more on this story, click here: Pets Allowed - Why Are So Many Animals Now in Places Where They Shouldn’t Be?

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on Twitter @thepettreehouse

Visit my blog! The News Whisperer, An informative blog of what's going on in your world today!
 at: www.whispersoftheworld.com

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